Karthage
by Jet556
Summary: The capital of the Labinnac hordes Karthage is a place ruled by fear, savagery and strict laws. Going here to try and persuade the Labinnac from turning away from Mumm-Ra, the ThunderCats discover the impossibility of such a thing happening.
1. The Coronation of the High Warlord

**Welcome everyone. I've never been the best at French, thus why I made the Labinnac's language represented by French. Enjoy and review.**

 **The Coronation of the High Warlord**

The coronation of the High Warlord was an extremely important festival in the Labinnac capital of Karthage. The ascension to the throne was celebrated with several ceremonies, rites and feasts lasting for a whole year.

One of these ceremonies was the uniting of the tribes, known by the Labbinac as: "Le Chatiment de l'Ennemi" or the Smiting of the Enemy. It was a ritual where the leader of a defeated realm was struck dead with a ceremonial flail by the victorious High Warlord.

Thus when Tygra of the ThunderCats arrived in Karthage, as invisible as can be, he arrived during Le Chatiment de l'Ennemi. A number of Labinnac warriors had brought a wolf leader before the new High Warlord, now known by the new name of Zet.

Tygra was in complete shock at the sight of Zet. The charcoal grey skin, the red eyes, the wings... It was impossible! It must have been a coincidence but Zet bore a passing resemblance to Mumm-Ra!

"You blasted barbarian!" exclaimed the wolf. "You and your kind will be defeated someday! You're threat in this land will not last forever!"

"Quel est ce baragouinant?" asked Zet. Tygra could only silently bring the palm of his right hand to his face. Another different language? Why couldn't Evabon and Labinnac just speak the trade language? Tyrga then brought his hand away as he heard Zet bring his flail crashing into the wolf's skull. This was most horrific! What manner of creatures were these Labinnac? Did they come up from the Pit that the Evabon spoke of? "Je ne vais pas un festin de son Coeur, les reins, le cerveau, les yeux ou les dents. Son genre sont legion. Apportez-moi les reins de Coeur, le cerveau, les yeux et les dents du dernier tigre orange, le dernier lion, le dernier des clercs Thunderan! Je vais leur sauveur eradication de joie debridee!"

Tygra had the feeling that Lion-O was the subject of that, he himself as well somehow but who was the Thunderan… And it was at that point that Tygra's eyes widened in horror as he realized just what Zet had been saying. Zet didn't want any wolf, lizard or wildcat! He wanted a lion, a tiger and a Thunderan cleric!


	2. The Court of the High Warlord

**Welcome back everyone. For Zet I mentally cast Patrick Stewart and for Melyk I mentally cast Simon Callow. Enjoy and review.**

 **The Court of the High Warlord**

The militaristic design of the High Warlord's throne room was a stark contrast to the natural beauty that was the great garden of Wilusa. While Zet's mummified husk resided in the Fane of the Devilry Lord, people watched two warriors fight to the death outside of the fort.

Still, Zet kept his eyes open as he sat upon his obsidian throne. His predecessor had not died of natural causes. In the court of the High Warlord father hated son and son hated father, brother hated brother, nephew hated uncle and uncle hated nephew, father-in-law hated son-in-law and son-in-law hated father-in-law. All of them planning to remove obstacles on their road to the obsidian throne. No one who had a claim to the throne ever died naturally.

As the High Warlord had an Acclaimed Kingly Bride, he also had other humble brides and hetaeras in addition. Thus it was that the High Warlord would have many offspring with the most notable High Warlord of them all, Ozimandyaz, had a total of ninety-six sons and sixty daughters with his first twelve sons predeceasing him.

No one liked the idea of never getting a chance to become High Warlord. Thus assassination was quite common in the court of the High Warlord. Bloody duels to the death were not uncommon either.

In his most warlike cousin Melyk, Zet saw his most dangerous rival. How long until one of them was dead?

Thoughts and observances were interrupted as a lesser Labinnac came walking into the court. He walked to the throne and bowed before Zet.

"Oh, High Warlord, Life and Blood of the Hordes, may you die a death of natural causes!" saluted the Labinnac.

"Your story quickly." Ordered Zet.

"The Evabon at Wilusa are driving us back, High Warlord." Said the Labinnac. "They are mocking us!"

"Do you hear mocking, cousin?" asked Melyk. "It is not just the mocking of Evabon. It the mocking of all Third Earth!"

"Silence!" yelled Zet. "I will not have Evabon mocking Labinnac and I will have the flesh of the Thunderans I desire!"


	3. The Savage Area

**Welcome back everyone. I was really stumped about what to do next so, I did some world building. Enjoy and review.**

 **The Savage Area**

In the general geography of Third Earth there is a place known as the Savage Area. It is here that Evabon, Labinnac and other "barbarians" originate from, the monkeys being an exception. Karthage was located west of Wilusa, a good deal farther west than the ThunderCats had ever ventured in that territory.

The general history of the Savage Area was full of racial conflicts between Evabon and Labinnac. The latter wished to cause death and destruction and the former merely began with defending themselves before ultimately marching into the Labinnac territory of the Savage Area.

Philosophers call the Labinnac "Evabon without their honor code" and in some ways that is the truth but calling them that had resulted in the misconception that Labinnac is the Evabon term for criminal. Besides considering the crossbow a coward's weapon, the cannon a weapon that turns battle into butchery, Evabon also would not kill someone when their back is turned as well as many other things. To the Labinnac however such things as honor codes were a sign of weakness.

The dream of the Evabon was to settle outside the Savage Area. In contrast, the Labinnac dreamed of conquering the Savage Area. After that? With the Devilry Lord having returned there would be nothing stopping them from expanding to the entire planet.

Yet even as the ThunderCats were in the Savage Area, now to persuade the Labinnac to turn away from Mumm-Ra, they had no idea of another group on their way to Karthage. Through the waters of the river Nibelung, an Evabon long ship's paddles rowed. Everyone on it was a trained warrior with the intentions to break the morale of the Labinnac at Wilusa by sacking Karthage.

Thus was there two groups even now journeying to Karthage. Both were on a foolish mission however. Never before had Karthage ever been sacked and it was impossible for the Labinnac to ever turn away from Mumm-Ra for a reason that will be revealed but not yet.

This tale is not a happy one. Long is this saga and one cannot have a happy ending when the ending has not yet been reached. There shall be a happy ending but not yet.

The Labinnac knew that a bundle of arrows could not be broken but the Evabon knew that with effort a bundle of arrows could be broken. The Labinnac hordes would be broken one day and when that day came the Evabon would be there. The threat that the Savage Area contained would be ended.


	4. Captured

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

 **Captured**

The people of the Savage Area all have heightened senses and abilities, regardless of their race the only one who could possibly be faster than them would be a cheetah! Thus Tygra's presence in Karthage did not go unnoticed. The scent of an unknown creature had found its way to ever Labinnac in the area that Tygra had been in. Due to a relatively large distance between the Savage Area and the place that the Tiger Clan, the orange branch at least, had called home the scent of a tiger was unknown to them.

Most of them!

A warrior known as Mort Noire, translated from Labinnac to the trade language as "Black Death", had made an expedition to conquer territory unknown to them. Thus had he come to know the scent of tigers! So it was that he smiled a smile most malicious and now knew this was his chance to be granted a proper name by the High Warlord. With a company of warriors he left Karthage and followed the trail that Tygra had unknowingly left.

Only someone not of the Savage Area would be so careless!

Thus around a fire, before the ThunderTank did the Labinnac find the ThunderCats. Seeing the ones that the High Warlord wanted, Mort Noire's most malicious smile grew even larger.

"I couldn't understand what he were saying but it was from his tone and a few words that sounded similar that made me think three of us are on the High Warlord's menu." Stated Tygra.

"You, me and Cheetara?" asked Lion-O.

"The same." Replied Tygra.

"The last lion, the last tiger and the last Thunderan cleric… Of course, he wouldn't be interested in a wolf." Commented Cheetara.

"He actually seems to be more interested in the last orange tiger." Corrected Tygra. "That would be me and so I guess the white tigers are all out there somewhere remember Bengali. Gard found him in a village on the tablelands. It might be possible that the white tigers are just dispersed amongst different nations, regardless of what their race is. And then there is something that makes me think this visit will be a failure."

"What's that?" asked Panthro.

"The High Warlord looks like—" Tygra never got any farther. The Labinnac warriors rushed in and quickly captured the ThunderCats. Lion-O and Tygra had been identified by their appearance Cheetara had been identified by the way she fought.

With their hands bound tightly, the ThunderCats could only watch as the Labinnac became most confused. Lion-O, Tygra and Cheetara had no tails yet the Wilys did not. And Panthro's arms… They were not like the arms of the rest.

"Ces trois sont differents!" said one of the Labinnac. "Sont-ils des chats? Pouvons-nous les ainsi?"

"Prenez ceux que nous sommes venus pour." Replied Mort Noire. "Laisse-les."

"Non lie?" asked the warrior.

"Non." Replied Mort Noire. "Lier leurs pieds ainsi. Laissez les bêtes sauvages les dechirer en morceaux."

If only they knew Panthro was waiting for them to leave. He'd break his bonds quickly and soon he'd come to the rescue.


	5. Before Zet

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

 **Before Zet**

Lion-O and Cheetara soon learned just why Tygra believed it to be impossible to turn the Labinnac away from Mumm-Ra. The resemblance the High Warlord's family had to that demon from the stars had given a split in beleifs. To Lion-O it was probably just a coincidence. To Cheetara it was probably something else. Inside a throne room that could be best described as one an authoritarian autocrat would have they looked at Zet with brave eyes.

Zet stared at them. He stared at them with his eyes that had nothing to suggest anything but unending hate.

"So these are the beasts that seek to bring the lower orders against the Devilry Lord." Said Zet. "Such hideous things are not fit to be seen." Lion-O said something only for Zet to turn to his cousin Melyk. "You understand these growlings they call the 'trade language' do you not, Melyk?"

"I do, Zet." Replied Melyk.

"Translate then."

"They have come to negotiate peacefully." Stated Melyk.

"Negotiate peacefully?" laughed Zet. "They are fools! We Labinnac do not negotiate! We make promises that we keep and never have those promises ever been peaceful ones! Tell them that!" Melyk did as was asked of him but nevertheless he still plotted Zet's death just as he plotted his own father's death. Lion-O then said something once more. "What now?"

"They want us to turn away from our deity and father of our family." Stated Melyk.

"Turn away from the Devilry Lord?" asked Zet. "By the darkness of the Abyss we will not! These beasts have become too wild without the Devilry Lord as their master. We must rectify that."

"Cousin?"

"Make no mistake, I do intend to make a meal of these three but all the rest must be tamed once more. They have become feral and their ways are an offence to all the world!"

"What do you suppose be done?"

"Collar them as one would a slave. Beat them make it be known that such disobedience will not be tolerated!"


	6. Why the Cleric?

**Welcome back everyone. Just a reminder but Melyk's actor would be Simon Callow opposite Patrick Stewart as Zet. Have those two ever acted with one another? I don't know but one can wonder with this. Enjoy and review.**

 **Why the Cleric?**

With the ThunderCats no longer in the throne room, having since been taken to a "vintage basement", Zet sat alone with Melyk. The two could not stand each other but at the same time they confided in each other and Zet found Melyk's honesty about wanting to kill and often saying that in public to be quite refreshing.

"Why the cleric, cousin?" asked Melyk. "The lion and the orange tiger I can understand since they are the last of their breeds but the cleric is not a breed she is of an order."

"Because her order fought against the Devilry Lord, you twit! It will make an example of any other such order that will seek to do such a thing!" replied Zet, a goblet in his hand filled with a vintage. The vintage was not wine but rather blood. "If you weren't my junior by nine years I'd think you impossibly stupid!"

"What does me being nine years younger than you have to do with anything?"

"Because the younger are always less intelligent than the older!"

"I'd watch my mouth, Zet." Commented Melyk. "After my father Zeimour I am next in line for the throne! And remember, accidents do happen."

"You can't outsmart me, Melyk." Returned Zet. "Besides you are skipping one person in the line of succession. My father-in-law, his son-in-law your father Zeimour and then you!"

"Not for long." Laughed Melyk. "I have been planning my ascension ever since I was ten years old, removing multiple members of the succession after me to ensure a new way of succession."

"And what way would that be?" asked Zet.

"Strictly from father to son and the line that will conquer the world beyond the Savage Area shall be mine!" replied Melyk.

"I could kill you right now and prevent your plans from every breaking our tradition." Commented Zet.

"Then why don't you?"

"There is no one here to see you die."


	7. Detained

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

 **Detained**

"Well, of course a race of cannibals would use blood for wine." Commented Tyrga upon discovering what was inside a barrel in the vintage basement. "I wonder what poor creatures were killed to make this."

"What does it say on the side?" asked Lion-O.

"I don't know, I don't read Labinnac." Replied Tygra.

"How long do you suppose we will have to wait for our execution?" asked Cheetara. "If what we've heard about the coronation lasting a year, we might have to wait until it is almost over for ours if we are to be the coronation feast."

"By that time the war will be over and Mumm-Ra will be the victor." Commented Lion-O. "We can't wait until this coronation is over we have to get out of here."

"Great idea." Tygra knocked on the door to the vintage basement. "Except for two problems. The wood in the Savage Area is so strong Panthro wouldn't be able to break this down and it isn't like the concept of windows is known to the Labinnac." Neither of those were an exaggeration. The trees of the Savage Area grew quickly and took up to a month to cut down and the concept of the window was as unknown to the Labinnac as the fork was.

"Hold on!" Cheetara stood up from the corner she was sitting in. "If the coronation lasts a year and if the coronation feast happens when it is almost over then they will have to feed us to keep us alive."

"Good idea." Tygra looked at the blood. "All we have to do is wait and we have something for us to drown our feeder with here. It isn't like I'd eat anything they'd give. Burning in fire and brimstone would probably be preferable."

"Do you really think it is possible the High Warlord and his family could be descended from Mumm-Ra?" asked Lion-O.

"Maybe but it might just be a coincidence." Replied Tygra. "What if they are like us cats. I'm a tiger, you are a lion and Cheetara is a cheetah but we are all the same species."

"Then the winged Labinnac would be the equivalent of my kind." Stated Lion-O. "But still… I just can't shake the feeling that this is more than just a coincidence."


	8. The Crossroads

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 **The Crossroads**

Panthro made his way to Karthage, avoiding Labinnac warriors to the best of his abilities and if he could not he would fight them. As he reached the crossroads that led to Karthage, he heard the sound of footsteps come to his ears. Turning he saw a battalion of Evabon warriors walking in the same direction he was headed for.

"What are you here for?" asked Panthro.

"To kill the High Warlord and bring down the morale of the Labinnac who have Wilusa under siege!" replied one of the Evabon.

"Wilusa under siege?" asked Panthro in shock.

"It is an act of unspeakable evil!" replied the youngest warrior. "What brings a cat so far from Thundera?"

"Thundera fell months ago." Stated Panthro. "The Lord of the ThunderCats, the last of the Tiger Clan and the last Cleric have been taken captive by the Labinnac."

"Did they take your arms too?" asked the young warrior.

"No, I lost these long before my friends were captured."

"So we re both here for a reason." Said the leader, a red skinned Evabon with a wooden right leg. "I am Froh. What is your name?"

"Panthro."

"Then will you join us in our endeavor?" asked Froh.

"We headed for the same place." Replied Panthro. "Why would I not join you?"


	9. Long Live the High Warlord

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 **Long Live the High Warlord**

Lion-O, Tygra and Cheetara were surprised to have found themselves brought to the Fane of the Devilry Lord. In horror they found a statue looking like the Armor of Plun-darr and before the statue the mummified husk of Zet's predecessor, now looking more like Mumm-Ra than anyone the High Warlord's living family members did. What manner of evil was this?

The looks of horror on their face merely caused Zet to smile so evil a smile that it would make the father of his line proud. With flail in hand, he looked over at Melyk while biting his abnormally large left thumb. Melyk only growled in response while offering a goblet of blood. Zet laughed and took the goblet, drinking the blood in a single gulp and throwing it most aggressively at his kinsman. Looking once more at the Thunderans, Zet made his way towards them while Tygra noticed that Melyk was now smiling.

"You backstabber!" exclaimed Tygra.

Realizing that Tygra had addressed Melyk, Zet stopped and once more turned to his kinsman. "What does he say?"

Melyk wasn't given time to think of a lie. At that moment Panthro and Froh came in with forty-nine fighting men behind them.

A battle then ensued. Lion-O, Tygra and Cheetara were freed and Zet did prove himself to be one of the most formidable opponents to the ThunderCats, perhaps only second to the Devilry Lord himself. Quickly did he swat Cheetara away, with some difficulty did he fight against Panthro, a bit more difficulty did he face Lion-O but when he sought to fight Tygra he found the tiger curiously missing. Sniffing the air, Zet found that Tygra was there for footsteps could not be found on the cobblestone floor of the fane. Having noticed the right ear missing, Tygra did scratch the High Warlord on his right side. With a surprised cry of pain Zet brought his hand to where the scratch was, on his neck and pulled it back to look back at the transparent blood that was his own.

Then Froh did throw his sword at Zet but to the surprise of all, the High Warlord fell to his knees before the sword ever got close to him. What was this?

So died Zet.


	10. Melyk

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 **Melyk**

His red eyes staring at Zet's husk Melyk walked over to it, knelt down and took the cerulean war crown Zet's head placing it upon his own. Although his white lock of hair would have to be shaved, that would be something he'd have to do himself as he would not trust anyone to it. To the objection of the surrounding Labinnac be they his kinsmen or not, Melyk spread his wings to their fullest and rose his hands to that he let out a blast of lightning that caused Lion-O to gasp in shock. Mumm-Ra had once done such a thing but he had a feeling that Melyk's lightning was not quite as powerful as Mumm-Ra's but powerful nonetheless.

"My father is dead, I have killed him." Stated Melyk. "Thus as the next in line is deceased I am the heir apparent and I now make the claim that I am the High Warlord."

""Hail, Melyk!" cried the Labinnac.

"Now, I do not care for the year of the coronation!" continued Melyk. "I have battles to fight. The Siege of Wilusa, the Valley of the Tombs, there is much to do that cannot wait until next year!"

A hunchbacked Labinnac warlock then stepped forward. "You would dare break tradition?"

Melyk turned his eyes upon the warlock. Then he unleashed his lightning upon the warlock. Long did the screaming go! It did not end until the warlock was dead.

"Further more, I am changing the ways of succession. My heirs shall be the men of my line alone, all heirs of the old succession that are not of my line shall be put to death. You may now challenge me for the throne if you be foolish enough." None of Melyk's kinsmen dared to come forward. "At last, no challenges from anyone."

"High Warlord, what of the Thunderans and the Evabon?" asked a Labinnac.

"The Thunderans shall be imprisoned and allowed to escape at an appointed time so they might lead us to that final stone. As for the…" Melyk paused as he noticed the Evabon missing. Where were they? Fifty warriors could not just vanish!

 **The End**


End file.
